Neymar rages after his sending-off: I gave an idiot the chance to grab attention

Was the Brazilian star treated unfairly?

Neymar launched a scathing attack on Bahia's Rodrigo Nestor after being sent off during the two sides' meeting in the early hours of Sunday, a fixture in the 32nd round of the Brazilian league.

Neymar saw red after placing his hand over his mouth while speaking to Rodrigo Nestor in the centre circle, just before the second half kicked off.

Nestor went straight to the referee to report the behaviour. Before play resumed, the video assistant referee summoned the official and showed him the footage.

The referee then brandished a straight red card at Neymar, ruling that the forward's conduct fell under what is known as the "Vinicius Junior law", applied in the Brazilian league.

Neymar said, via his Instagram account: "I'm not someone who talks much about what happens on the pitch, but what Nestor did to me is extremely serious, because he exploited a law that was put in place to combat racism, and tried to take advantage of it."

"I feel very sad, because he acted in a completely dishonest way," he added. "He said in the interview that he couldn't repeat what I said because there are children watching. Brother, he pretended to have been attacked. I kicked the ball towards the area of his waist, but he put his hand on his face. What example does he want to set? He talked about upbringing and morals. Brother, I also received a good upbringing. And there's another thing, I'm a man."

Neymar continued: "What you did is not acceptable. And whoever put this law in place must be careful, because dishonest behaviour can happen, and the matter ends with what happened to me. I made a stupid mistake, didn't I? I gave an idiot the chance to draw attention. Thank you, Nestor, I'll go to sleep with a clear conscience. As for you, because of your dishonest behaviour, you won't sleep peacefully, no, you won't sleep peacefully!"